Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Window Opening Behaviour in Japanese Dwellings

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sustainable Houses and Living in the Hot-Humid Climates of Asia

Abstract

We investigated window opening behaviour and thermal environment over a period of 4 years in the living rooms and bedrooms of dwellings in the Kanto region of Japan. We collected 36,144 data samples from 243 residents of 120 dwellings. The proportion of ‘open window’ in the free-running mode is significantly higher than that in the cooling and heating modes. The window opening behaviours were shown to be related to both the indoor or outdoor air temperatures. Window opening behaviour as predicted by logistic regression analysis is in agreement with the measured data. The deadband was narrower, and constraints on the window opening in the investigated dwellings were considerably smaller than had previously been found in studies of office buildings. An adaptive algorithm is developed that can be applied to predict window opening in Japanese dwellings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Rijal HB, Tuohy P, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF, Samuel A, Clarke J (2007) Using results from field surveys to predict the effect of open windows on thermal comfort and energy use in buildings. Energ Buildings 39(7):823–836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rijal HB, Honjo M, Kobayashi R, Nakaya T (2013) Investigation of comfort temperature, adaptive model and the window opening behaviour in Japanese houses. Archit Sci Rev 56(1):54–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Imagawa H, Rijal HB (2015) Field survey of the thermal comfort, quality of sleep and typical occupant behaviour in the bedrooms of Japanese houses during the hot and humid season. Archit Sci Rev 58(1):11–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kubota T (2007) A field survey on usage of air-conditioners and windows in apartment houses in Johor Bahru city. J Environ Eng AIJ 72(616):83–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Fabi V, Andersen RV, Corgnati S, Olesen BW (2012) Occupants’ window opening behaviour: a literature review of factors influencing occupant behaviour and models. Build Environ 58(12):188–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Oseland N (1995) Predicted and reported thermal sensation in climate chambers, offices and homes. Energ Buildings 23(2):105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Rijal HB, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF (2009) Understanding occupant behaviour: the use of controls in mixed-mode office buildings. Build Res Inf 37(4):381–396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Rijal HB, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF (2014) Study on window opening algorithm to predict occupant behaviour in Japanese houses. In: PLEA2014 – 30th conference, sustainable habitat for developing societies, Ahmedabad, India, 15–18 December, 2014

    Google Scholar 

  9. Rijal HB, Humphreys M, Nicol F (2015) Adaptive thermal comfort in Japanese houses during the summer season: behavioral adaptation and the effect of humidity. Buildings 5(3):1037–1054

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Rijal HB, Tuohy P, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF, Samuel A, Raja IA, Clarke J (2008) Development of adaptive algorithms for the operation of windows, fans and doors to predict thermal comfort and energy use in Pakistani buildings. ASHRAE Trans 114(2):555–573

    Google Scholar 

  11. Brager GS, Paliaga G, de Dear R (2004) Operable windows, personal control, and occupant comfort. ASHRAE Trans 110(2):17–33

    Google Scholar 

  12. Humphreys MA, Nicol JF, Roaf S (2016) Adaptive thermal comfort: foundations and analysis. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  13. Rijal HB, Tuohy P, Nicol F, Humphreys MA, Samuel A, Clarke J (2008) Development of an adaptive window-opening algorithm to predict the thermal comfort, energy use and overheating in buildings. J Build Perform Simul 1(1):17–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Rijal HB, Tuohy P, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF, Samuel A (2011) An algorithm to represent occupant use of windows and fans including situation-specific motivations and constraints. Build Simul 4(2):117–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Rijal HB, Tuohy P, Humphreys MA, Nicol JF, Samuel A (2012) Considering the impact of situation-specific motivations and constraints in the design of naturally ventilated and hybrid buildings. Archit Sci Rev 55(1):35–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Nicol JF, Humphreys MA, Roaf S (2012) Adaptive thermal comfort: principles and practice. Routledge, Abingdon

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to give thanks to Prof. Michael Humphreys and Prof. Fergus Nicol for their research guidance, the households who participated in the survey and the students for data entry. This research was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 24560726.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Restoration Ecology and Built Environment, Tokyo City University, 3-3-1 Ushikubo-nishi, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama, 224-8551, Japan

    Hom Bahadur Rijal

Authors
  1. Hom Bahadur Rijal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hom Bahadur Rijal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC), Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Tetsu Kubota

  2. Department of Restoration Ecology and Built Environment, Tokyo City University, Yokohama, Japan

    Hom Bahadur Rijal

  3. Department of Architecture, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroto Takaguchi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Rijal, H.B. (2018). Window Opening Behaviour in Japanese Dwellings. In: Kubota, T., Rijal, H., Takaguchi, H. (eds) Sustainable Houses and Living in the Hot-Humid Climates of Asia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8465-2_27

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation